New York tests doctor who was in West Africa for Ebola

Officials are looking into a possible Ebola case in New York City. Sources tell CBS 2 the man, who is in his 30s, had fever and abdominal pain and recently returned from West Africa.

Officials are looking into a possible Ebola case in New York City. Sources tell CBS 2 the man, who is in his 30s, had fever and abdominal pain and recently returned from West Africa.

Ellen WulfhorstReuters

A physician with Doctors Without Borders who recently returned from West Africa is being tested for Ebola at a New York City hospital, health officials said on Thursday, setting off fresh fears about the spread of the virus.

The doctor developed a fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a statement. Preliminary results of the Ebola testing were expected in the next 12 hours.

The doctor was identified as Craig Spencer, who lives in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood, according to New York City Councilman Mark Levine.

“A person in New York City, who recently worked with Doctors Without Borders in one of the Ebola-affected countries in West Africa, notified our office this morning to report having developed a fever,” Doctors Without Borders said in a statement.

The doctor reported the fever immediately, and Doctors Without Borders said it immediately notified the city health department.

The patient, who returned to the United States within the past 21 days, is being treated at Bellevue Hospital, the city's health department said.

Twenty-one days is the maximum incubation period for Ebola.

Bellevue is one of the eight hospitals statewide designated earlier this month as part of an Ebola preparedness plan.

Spencer's Facebook page showed a photo of him clad in protective gear. It shows he went to Guinea around Sept. 18 and then to Brussels on October 16.

A woman at the Bellevue Hospital information desk identified herself to a staff member as the fianceé of the patient. She appeared very agitated and declined to comment.

The health department said it was tracing all of the patient's contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk. It said the patient had been transported by a specially trained unit wearing protective gear.

News of the latest potential Ebola case in the United States caused stocks to pare gains late in the trading session.

“It threw a little scare into the market,” said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles.

Fears about the spread of Ebola, which has killed nearly 4,900 people, largely in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, have mounted since the first person diagnosed with the disease in the United States, a Liberian man who had flown to Texas, was hospitalized in Dallas last month.

The man, Thomas Eric Duncan, died on Oct. 8, and two nurses who treated him became infected with the virus. A task force has been set up following missteps in handling the case.

An employee at Bellevue said the hospital's staff had been trained and was well prepared for the possible case.

”To be quite honest, you really don't know who walks in there anyway,“ she said.

The virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person and is not airborne.

The United States this week began requiring travelers coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to enter through one of five airports conducting increased screening for the virus. It also is directing those travelers to check in with health officials every day and report their temperatures and any Ebola symptoms for 21 days.

The U.N. World Health Organization said on Thursday that such arrival screening may have ”a limited effect“ in stopping the virus from spreading but whether it adds anything to exit screening from affected countries is a decision for governments.

President Barack Obama has opposed a travel ban on people coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Some Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for such a ban.

In Connecticut, officials placed six West Africans who recently arrived in the United States under quarantine for possible Ebola exposure. The family which arrived on Saturday will be watched for 21 days, Connecticut state health authorities said. Officials have yet to say where the family came from.

West Africans have planned to march to the United Nations headquarters from Times Square on Thursday to raise awareness and fight the stigma and discrimination stemming from the disease.